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Doing Things Differently is Our Thing.

Meet the team

Somewhere along the evolutionary path from spear-toting hunter-gatherer to smoothie-swigging smartphone soldiers we went from a diet featuring whole ingredients to unholy matrimonies of industrialized monstrosities, harvested, mechanically separated, and reassembled into questionable beef-like objects.

What we’re trying to say is, food got weird, man.

As a result, we’ve become weird about food. We’re lactose intolerant, gluten-free, non-GMO, grain-free, buzzword fiends chasing the dietary dragon to get our fix of that pure, unadulterated taste we remember from a time long forgotten. But guess what? The real solution isn’t the next big thing. It was actually the first big thing: Pre-Industrial food. No feedlots, no added hormones, no unnecessary antibiotics, no corn-fed cattle.

Pre® wants to set the taste clock back to the time just before food got so weird, and keep the quality right there. It’s not going to be easy, but doing things the right way rarely is. These things make us different, and we’re okay with that.

We Believe in Food Transparency

So we founded a grass-fed beef brand to deliver just that – offering the best-tasting, highest-quality beef in the world – with absolute transparency from pasture to package to plate.  

We Source Ethically From Farmers with Nutrient-rich Pastures

All of our healthy beef is grass-fed and grass-finished from Uruguay, parts of the United States and Australia and New Zealand, where nutrient-rich grasses grow year-round for cattle. All our beef is cut, trimmed or ground in Chicago.  

We Do Things Differently

As a grass-fed beef brand, we think about beef differently, so we approach beef differently. We believe in respecting your taste, your health and your time. We never add hormones or antibiotics. Absolutely no GMOs. Our packaging is airtight and 100% nitrate and BPA free. We believe organic isn’t a label, it is a lifestyle, and we treat animals with respect.

We're just geeks deeply in love with the little details that go into making food amazing

KEVIN PONTICELLI

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Our CEO, Kevin Ponticelli, brings more than 30 years of terrific experience from senior leadership positions in food and beverage, working across sales, marketing, and general management, and we’re thankful we have such a proficient leader on-board! His roles have included: COO and President of Mizkan American Inc., CEO for Discovery Foods, President of both Kraft’s North American Cheese business and Kraft’s Pizza Division, and Senior Executive VP for Dairy Management Inc . In fact while at Kraft, Kevin led development, test marketing and expansion of DiGiorno rising crust pizza, and helped to create the ‘It’s Not Delivery, It’s DiGiorno’ ad campaign that launched the business nationally. He’s also a member of the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame, and enjoys all sports. His favorite food is a big, delicious cheeseburger. Which means our ground beef is his go-to for hand pressed patties grilled medium rare over a charcoal fire, with a melted slice of American cheese on a toasted bun (with all the fixings)….accompanied by an ice cold beer. It’s his perfect, nostalgic meal that brings back great memories of hot summer cookouts and family picnics.

 

 

NICOLE SCHUMACHER

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Nicole is our savvy and tenacious CMO. She is not just at Pre for the chuck roast (which she uses in a killer French onion soup), she’s here because she is passionate about the importance of real food and Pre’s mission to deliver real, grass fed and finished beef to carnivores all over the country. She knows how to get things done, create great experiences (even on a short deadline), plan, strategize, and rock & roll. You will probably never see Nicole at her desk for more than an hour, because she is always in motion, working with our partners, team members, and customers. She comes to Pre with 20 years of experience in start-up businesses like Boca, Forkless Gourmet, and Natural Fitness from ground zero. So it’s not her first rodeo when it comes to start-ups and small businesses. In her off-time from being our fierce boss lady you can find her spending time with her family and probably enjoying some Swedish fish too.

JASON PINTER

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Jason is our good-natured and proficient CFO. He joined Pre because of the shared mutual values regarding our desires to eat healthier, understand more about where our food is coming from, and what ingredients are used in it. We are excited to have him here — he comes with tons of experience working in finance at companies like SpotHero, Orbitz, and Kraft. Jason loves our filet mignon because it’s delicious and goes well with just about anything! When Jason is not at Pre you can find him spending time with his kids (probably being pranked by them) and doing fun things in and around Chicago.

JOE WELENHOFER

VP OF OPERATIONS

Joe is our VP of Operations and he has been with Pre® since Day 0. When it comes to making sure our product arrives safely and within the right time frame for “wow, that’s tender,” Joe has the schedule memorized and is monitoring it to the minute and temperature (and he is probably 2 months ahead of you on it too). He’s a certified meat cutter, cheeseburger enthusiast and overall incredibly intelligent beef geek, because Joe solves any problem and can even find problems before they need to be solved. With experience at companies like Tyson, Hillshire, and the Chicago Meat Authority, Joe is our champion at optimizing our production process and acquiring our raw materials (also our table tennis champion). Outside of Pre, Joe enjoys a good bike ride or taking his crazy dog, Lula, for a walk. He is also a pretty good chef (no Michelin stars, but good, in our opinion) at cooking up challenging and delicious meals.

LIZ HOLT

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL ACCOUNTS

"My favorite cut is the filet. Perfect size, super tender, less fat but tons of flavor. Pre fuels my desire to change the beef industry from the inside out. My guilty pleasure is baking delicious desserts. On the weekend, you’ll find me painting, dog cuddling, at game nights with friends and having really good dinners, of course."

CHANTZ RODRIGUEZ

LOGISTICS & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER

Chantz is our Supply Chain Analyst, he makes sure we are operating smart and making good calls for production, logistics, and warehousing. He’s extremely helpful on our Operations team with loads of experience in logistics. His favorite Pre cut is the ribeye, reverse seared. He has a passion for eating and cooking food, as well as drinking craft beer. If you want to find Chantz on the weekend, check out some of the new restaurants around town —he’ll probably be at one of them, exploring every inch of Chicago for new and exciting dinner plans.

PAULA DEMURIA

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Paula is our bright and bold Senior Director of Business Development. She has a track record of...well, being the best… and we like that about her. We are happy she is here because she has loads of experience with different food brands, small to large, and she has helped each one grow strong and fast. When Paula is not at Pre, you can probably find her at the beach with friends and family. Paula is a great cook and loves making her families’ old Italian recipes—we love it when she does that too. But if you were to cook Paula a cut of Pre, she would request a filet mignon, black and blue, followed by a chocolate dessert, any form—any size, wrapped around any other sweets!

JESSI ADRIGNOLA

ART DIRECTOR

Jessi is our Art Director who has lots of passion and enthusiasm for creating a great design, image, package, advertisement, the list goes on… Whatever she is working on, we know she is putting her heart into it, and most likely while drinking way too much black coffee. She helps us create and plan meaningful content and she has loads of experience from design agencies, start-ups, and freelance work. Her favorite cuts of Pre are the filet mignon, the NY strip, and 92% ground beef (for her nachos). When she isn’t creating at Pre, she is probably collaborating on art projects, seeing stand-up or live music, dancing, painting, learning, or having great food & drinks with great company.

JENNIFER BORCHARDT

MARKET MANAGER

Jen is our Market Manager. Have you ever gone to pick up Pre at the grocery store and there is a woman straightening the shelves and conversing with the meat managers in Pre attire? That is probably Jen, making sure our stores are top notch for carnivore consumption. Jen is always working towards the future, whether that means introducing Pre to new retailers, figuring out ways to support our customers through store events, or watering our herb garden at the Pre office so her fellow employees can have fresh basil all year round—Jen is always someone you can count on. She believes in Pre and it shows through her positive attitude, enthusiastic energy and teamwork.

JON BYKERK

CONTROLLER

Jon is the Controller at Pre. He usually gets to the office first in the morning on his bicycle and can hold his own during our table tennis matches. He’s got a great plaid shirt for every camping trip and our chuck roast is his go-to, barbacoa-style specifically. Jon brings over 12 years of experience in finance to Pre and is a passionate foodie (so we always make sure he is available during our recipe testing). In his spare time, Jon prefers to be outdoors. We are pretty sure if we had a rooftop Jon might up be there all day.

DAVID VLCEK

OPERATIONS MANAGER

David is the Operations Manager at Pre. When it comes to making sure things move smoothly at our plant and our product arrives safely within the right time frame for “wow, that’s tender,” David has the schedule memorized and is monitoring it to the minute and temperature (and he is probably 2 months ahead of you on it too). We’re so happy to have David on-board, he is a food science professional and has years of experience in food, new product development, quality control and food safety, with hands on experience in new product creation, testing, production methodology and OSHA, USDA & GMP regulations! Pre fuels his desire to learn, develop and grow within the food industry. When David is not solving problems at Pre or finding them before they need to be solved, he is most likely found participating in a BBQ competition (no Michelin stars, but he has won quite a few awards in rib categories). He says there is nothing better than seeing a person’s reaction to eating something he has spent hours making. Bringing the family together for a smoked beef brisket with all the fixin’s makes him the happiest…that… and a cold beer + a Pre® Filet Mignon w/parmesan crust and a twice baked potato. When he isn’t barbecuing, he loves to play golf, hockey, and guitar.

JAMES HUKILL

ACCOUNTANT

James is our Accountant, aka Money Crunching Extraordinaire. We are excited James is here because he is a team-player fueled with ambition and positivity to help Pre succeed. If you forgot your receipts, you (might) be able to make up for it by giving James a sushi roll (salmon sashimi/nigiri please). His favorite Pre cut is the juicy Ribeye, because it seriously tastes good. James enjoys quality time with friends and his awesome family of 5! You can find him hitting some forest preserves and going off trail, exploring wildlife, biking, gardening, and staying involved in church. James loves dry comedy and talking or not talking (you’re cool in his book if you get that)!

DANIEL HO

QUALITY MANAGER

Daniel is our Quality Manager. That means he’s really into good food, and we appreciate that. Daniel is a food science perfectionist, he is constantly conducting food quality experiments, testing new products (and we don’t mean JUST taste testing), & overseeing and improving our production process. His goal is to deliver a high quality product with even higher quality taste. He is committed to improving his approach to food safety and quality and continues to learn even more about the food industry every single day. He has loads of experience in Quality at places like The Spice House and Legendary Baking. On any given weekend you might find him kayaking, hiking, playing volleyball, taking in a new restaurant or just eating in bed (hey, we all do it). His favorite Pre cut is the ‘bold and brave’ ribeye—he likes to sous vide and then sear it for that perfect cook, every time.

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See what people are saying

"Real talk...since my cancer was environmental and not hereditary I am super conscious of what goes into my body, especially protein. Post chemo left my body super low in iron so steak remains in my diet. I found Pre a few months ago and it’s the only meat I buy. Grass-fed, no added hormones and most importantly affordable. Eat better for your body people!"

jaqueline

"Your steaks, especially the sirloin, ribeye, and filet mignon are absolutely delicious. Wasn’t sure how these cuts would taste grilled but they taste just as good if not better than cuts I’ve had a top notch steakhouses."

Mario

"When our son was diagnosed with a rare medical disorder, it meant that we would have to change our diet as a family. Because his metabolism doesn’t function like a typical person’s, we have to be very careful about what we feed him. One of the changes we made was to use more grass-fed and finished beef in our cooking. We decided to give Pre a try, and we are so happy with the quality and taste of the meat. Buying from Pre gives us peace of mind and we feel confident knowing that we are using a product in the top of its class."

Lindsay

"This beef is AMAZING! I'm from Wisconsin so a huge steak lover. This is some of the best beef, I've experienced and I've had beef around the world. It's a must try, and you'll understand what I mean."

Tracy

"My husband and I loved having these filets once a week. I sear both sides and "in-between" in a very hot small Lodge cast iron skillet. I use a spatter guard. Then I place the skillet in a 400 degree oven for between 2min. 10-20 seconds. Perfect medium minus filets. My mouth is watering as I write this!!"

Mary M.

"These steaks and other Pre products have been a staple in our home for over a year now and we continue to be fully satisfied with their consistently good quality and flavor. They are the perfect size, are delicious and easy to cook. Add Pre’s amazing customer service to it and you end up with an exceptional overall product!"

K.G.

"Best steak I've had in a long time. I love being able to order grass fed beef that is way better than I can find in grocery stores. Really tastes great on the grill . I'm addicted to it now."

Jeff S.

"First time trying the 10 Pack New York Strips. Oh My! had an unexpectedly warm day and whipped out the grill. Enough said. Delish !!!! Steaks are equally cut making cooking much easier for the desired temp."

Lu H.

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